Peace Corps to allow applicants to choose location

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Peace Corps' new online application will allow people to choose the countries and program where they want to serve and include other changes.

The application is being released Tuesday.

The old application only allowed people to choose preferred countries, meaning they could still be sent to a country of little interest to them. The Peace Corps says enabling people to apply to specific countries will help align their service with personal and professional goals.

The organization says the online application also will reduce the time it takes to apply, from about eight hours to about one hour, by removing repetitive information.

The new application also has a set date for informing applicants whether they were accepted into the Peace Corps, allowing them to better plan.